Dear Friends of Music,

Music has been ringing through the halls of Beaverton schools more bountifully this year than anyone can remember, and we’ve been truly energized by this great progress. We hate to be the bearers of bad news at a time like this, but we feel it’s our duty to keep you informed about the health of all music programs in the district.

We recently learned that the administration at Mountain View Middle School is planning to cut its band and choir programs *in half* next year.  The band director has been involuntarily transferred to another school and the choir director has been assigned to teach both choir and band next year.  Students will have a shortened music period, fewer electives in general (notoriously known in the education field as a ‘narrowed curriculum’), and will only have access to music education a few times a week.  We probably don’t need to tell you how this will hamper, or even kill, the students’ ability to thrive and gain a complete education in their neighborhood school, nor how it will negatively impact the recently rebounding music programs at Aloha High School, as that school’s main feeder is cut off at the roots.  We shudder at the thought!

BFoM leadership has been gathering information about the situation and has met with stakeholders to formulate collectively the best course of action. We’ve determined this potential educational disaster can be remedied only through informed, unified, and coordinated advocacy from parents within the MVMS community with support from our district-wide collective.

If you are a parent or community member within the Aloha High School feeder area (Chehalem, Cooper Mountain, Errol Hassell, Hazeldale, Kinnaman, Mountain View Middle School, or Aloha High School), you are invited to an emergency meeting to discuss this issue on Monday, June 8th at 6pm in the auditorium at Aloha High School (18550 SW Kinnaman Rd, Aloha, OR 97007).  The meeting is also open to friends in other neighborhoods if you would like to attend to listen and learn more.

Please feel free to forward this message to other parents, students, and community members who may be interested in attending the meeting, or write to us at the e-mail address listed below if you’d like more information.

Thank you,

BFoM Leadership